Archive for March 17th, 2018

Omaha Hi Lo: Fundamental Summary

[ English ]

Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most complex but favored poker variations. It is a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, aims for action from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible variation, has increased in acceptance so amazingly.

Omaha/8 starts just like a regular game of Omaha. Four cards are given out to each player. A sequence of betting ensues where players can wager, check, or drop out. Three cards are dealt out, this is known as the flop. A further round of wagering ensues. After all the gamblers have in turn called or folded, a further card is flipped on the turn. Another round of wagering ensues and then the river card is revealed. The gamblers will have to put together the strongest high and low five card hands based on the board and hole cards.

This is the point where a few entrants can get baffled. Unlike Texas Holdem, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/low the player must utilize precisely 3 cards from the board, and exactly 2 hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "low hand."

A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the best possible hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house. It is the same approach in just about all poker games.

A low hand is more complex, but really free’s up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that might be made, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Considering that straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the worst possible hand. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an eight and below. The lower hand wins half of the pot, as just like the higher hand. When there is no lower hand presented, the higher hand wins the whole pot.

It may seem difficult at the outset, after a few hands you will be able to pick up on the base subtleties of the game easily enough. Seeing as you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are being used at once, Omaha 8 or better offers an amazing range of betting possibilities and seeing that you have numerous players shooting for the high, and several shooting for the low hand. If you love a game with a considerable amount of outs and actions, it is not a waste of your time to play Omaha hi-low.